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P-L Hsu's Research and
Teaching in China
Dayue Chen
Peking University, China
Introduction
 1910 Born in
Beijing
 1933 graduate
from Tsinghua
Univ.
 1934 hired by
Peking University
 1970 died at
Peking University
Introduction
 1910 Born in Beijing
 1933 graduate from
Tsinghua Univ.
 1934 hired by Peking
University
 1936-40 studied at
UCL, UK
 1940 Professor
 1945-47 visited USA
 1970 died at Peking U.
Introduction
 1910 Born in Beijing
 1933 graduate from
Tsinghua Univ.
 1934 hired by Peking
University.
 1936-40 studied at
UCL, UK
 1940 Professor
 1945-47 visited USA
 1970 died at Peking U.
 1911 Qing Dynasty
ended
 1927-1937 Golden 10
years in China
 1937-1945 WWII
36-40 peace in UK
 1945-1949 Civil War
 1949-1966 years of
constructions.
Good time with USSR
 1966-1976 The Great
Cultural Revolution
Introduction
 Apart from his published papers and a
few remarks given us by an old friend,
we are unable to obtain further
information about Hsu's life and work
in the twenty some years he lived in
Peking --PAO-LU HSU 1910-1970, The Annals of
Statistics 1979, Vol. 7, No. 3, 467-470



T. W. ANDERSON (Stanford)
K. L. CHUNG (Stanford)
E. L. LEHMANN (UC Berkeley)
Introduction
 The limiting distributions of functions of sample means
and application to testing hypotheses. Proc. Berkeley
Symp. Math. Statist. Probability, 1949, 359-402. Univ. of
California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles.
 On symmetric, orthogonal, and skew-symmetric
matrices. Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. Ser. 1953, 2, 3744.
 A general weak limit theorem for independent
distributions, Appendix III in Limit Distributions of Sums
of Independent Random Variables, by B. V. Gnedenko
and A. N. Kolmogorov, translated by K. L. Chung,
revised edition, Addison-Wesley, 1968.
Introduction
 Mr. Hsu was essentially a legendary
hero, somewhat mysterious to us. -Boju Jiang
who first met Hsu in 1968 since he came to PKU in 1953.
 许先生基本上是一位传说中的英雄，
多少有些神秘 －－ 姜伯驹
 Hsu was quite isolated,
due to his poor health.
 Last public lecture in 1955.
In Summary
 Continued his research after 1947,
wrote 1/3 papers.
 Run seminars to foster young
teachers & graduates.
 Supervised a training program. The
blueprint designated by Hsu became
the national standard.
 Introduced and promoted Probability
& Statistics in China.
Research
Years
where
China
Int’l
Topics
1935
Beijing
1
1
topology
1938-1940
London
1
7
statistics
1941-1945
Kunming
1
9
Random matrices
Limiting distributions
1946-1947
USA
0
4
Matrices,
complete convergence
1949-1964
Beijing
11
2
Characteristic functions,
Matrices transf.
Markov processes
Experimental design
Limiting distribution
3
1
Markov chain, Random Mat.
Limiting distr., Coding
1968, Posthumously
Research
 Published 41 papers, in addition to 3
books.
 Peak performance in 1938-1947, 22
papers in 10 years, all in English.
 13 papers in 15 years (1949-1964),
11 papers in Chinese Journals.
 Most are single authored. Coauthers:
K.L. Chung, Kiang Tsai-han, H.Robbins,
Ban-cheng, J.D.Chen, Z.G. Zheng
Research
Research






Limit Theorems
Random matrices
Markov chains
Experimental designs
Characteristic functions
…….
Research
 E.L.Lehmann, Hsu’s work on inference, The Annals
of Statistics, 1979, Vol.7, No.3, 471-473.
 T.W.Anderson, Hsu’s work in multivariate
analysis, The Annals of Statistics, 1979, Vol.7,
No.3, 474-478.
 K.L.Chung, Hsu’s work in Probability, The Annals
of Statistics, 1979, Vol.7, No.3, 479-483.
 J.D. Chen & Z.G.Zheng, Academic Achievements
of Professor P.L. Hsu, Frontiers of Mathematics in
China, 2011, Vol. 6,
Research
 The merit of a paper is not just to get
published, but is realized when it is
cited repeatedly by others.
 一篇文章的价值不是在它发表的时候得到了
承认，而是在后来不断被人引用的时候才得
到证实。
 A good author should show the
simplicity.
 良工示人以朴。
Research
 I do not want to get famous because
my paper appears in a wellestablished journal. I wish a journal
is well established because my paper
appears in that journal.
 我不希望自己的文章登在有名的杂志上因而
出了名；我希望一本杂志因为刊登了我的文
章而出名。
Teaching
 One can feel proud to be the advisor
of a Noble laureate. It means nothing
just to be a student of a Noble
laureate.
 自古以来，只有做状元的老师是光荣的，做
状元的学生是没有什么的。
Teaching
 Hsu was the first to offer courses in
probability and statistics in China.
 Kai-Lai Chung, Shou-ren Wang (王寿
仁  Zhi-ming Ma)
 Zhong-Zhe Zhao(赵仲哲,1924-1987),
first graduate in probability in China
 Last lecture in 1955.
Teaching
 The most profound action in 1956
 Probability and Statistics (together
with computational mathematics &
differential equations) were identified
as key subjects of mathematics to be
developed with priority in China.
 Only a few Chinese knew probability
and statistics by that time.
Teaching
 To produce qualified teachers at
accelerated pace, a special program
was created at Peking Univ.
 34 juniors from PKU, 10 from Nankai
Univ. & 10 from Sun Yat-sen Univ.
 Many auditors.(进修教师)
 Instructors from CAS & Sun Yat-sen
Univ. in Guangzhou were summoned.
Teaching
 Hsu acted as the head coacher of the
program. The curriculum set by Hsu
became the national standard.
 Textbooks were compiled, many
based on the notes of his lectures.
 Students were dispatched to many
universities to teach Prob. & Stat.
 the founding father of probability and
statistics in China.
Teaching
 Run seminars (=small class) in his home
(one bedroom apartment) for 8 years.
 Tutor students & young teachers, only a
few people were lucky enough to be his
apprentices (入室弟子).
 Wide range of Topics: Markov Process,
Limit theory, Stationary processes,
Mathematical Statistics, experimental
designs，Sampling techniques, order
statistics, etc.
Lecture Notes on
Topology, 1963
Teaching
 Designated pen-names Ban-cheng(班
成), Ban-guo (班果), Ban-ji(班绩) for
writing papers collectively.
 Researches conducted by members of
the seminars were first coordinated
efforts in China.
 Supervised six graduate students in
1958-1962, including Yongquan Yin
(殷涌泉- Zhi-dong Bai)
With students of
queue theory
group, July of
1959
With students
of statistics
group, 1959
Services
 Following the Soviet pattern, the
faculty of Prob.& Stat. was set up at
Peking Univ. in 1956.
 概率论与数理统计教研室
 Teaching and Research Unit of Probab.
Theory and Mathematical Statistics
 The very first unit of the kind in China,
evolved into a separated department
in 1985.
Services
 As the founding director of the unit,
Hsu took a good care of career
progress of young colleagues, since
most members only had a bachelor
degree.
 Organized scientific exchanges.
Fisz, Urbanik visited in 1957
Dynkin visited PKU in 1958.
Prokhorov planed in 1960.
Services
 Proofread translated books.
Learned Russian by himself.
Last assignment in his life: proof-read
 Wish to create a Chinese journal in
prob. & stat., subsidized by his own
money.
 Deputy Director, the Organizing
Committee of the Institute of Math.
Services
 His efforts were discounted, although
he was immune from politics.
 Graduate students were designated.
 Seminars were interrupted.
 Annoyed by writing research plan.
 Submitting papers to Chinese
journals was his own choice, in order
to promote Chinese journals.
Services
 ”He was looking forward to being
part of the emerging new society in
his homeland”. –-Anderson,Chung & Lehmann
 Both in 1940 and in 1947 he returned
to China during the war.
 Internal drive to go home.
 苟利国家生死以，岂因祸福避趋之？
Services
P.L. Hsu
1910-1970
36-40 UK
45-47 USA
L.K. Hua
1910-1985
36-38 UK
46-50 USA
S.S. Chern
1911-2004
34-35 Germany
43-45, 49-94?
USA
Life




fragile health, 5 ft 6 inch, 88 pound
Disqualified for studying abroad.
Hospitalized in 1948 & early 50’s.
Recuperated in 1933 & 1957.
 Read & write in bed in last 10 years.
 Never married.
Letter to Herbert
Robbins, 1948
It appears that my
system has gone
wrong, a stomach
ulcer and a lung TB
are just serious
enough to force upon
me a complete rest
for one year at least.
--P.L. Hsu
Life
In Hsu’s Honor
 Academician in 1948,
5 mathematicians were elected
 National award in 1942
 Academician again in 1955,
9 mathematicians were elected
 IMS Fellow
 Memorial meetings were held in 1980,
1990, 2000 & 2010 at PKU.
In Hsu’s Honor
 Pao-Lu Hsu Lecture Series held at PKU
2009 Shige Peng (Shandong Univ.)
2010 Tzu-Leung Lai (Stanford)
2011 Howell Tong (LSE)
……………
In Hsu’s Honor
 P.L. Hsu award in 1980’s set by Chung
 Hsu’s portrait appears in a Springer
Calendar
 P-L Hsu Conference on Statisitcal
Machine Learning, orgainzed by Bin Yu.
 Tsinghua Univ. recently inaugurated
Pao-Lu Hsu Distinguished Lecture in
Statistics and Probability.
 A memorial webpage will be built.
In Summary
 Continued his research after 1947,
wrote 1/3 papers.
 Run seminars to foster young
teachers & graduates.
 Supervised a training program. The
blueprint designated by Hsu became
the national standard.
 Introduced and promoted Probability
& Statistics in China.
Please join Peking Univ.,
the home of Pao-Lu Hsu,
if you share his point of view.
Visiting http://www.stat.pku.edu.cn/, or
writing to [email protected]